


Ready, Set, Sold!

by haplesshippo



Category: Free!
Genre: Attempt at Humor, Hijinks & Shenanigans, M/M, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, it's for a good cause I swear, the iwatobi swim club gets auctioned off
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-04
Updated: 2017-09-04
Packaged: 2018-12-23 14:47:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,985
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11991957
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/haplesshippo/pseuds/haplesshippo
Summary: It all starts with selling the Iwatobi swim club member's bodies for money (no, Nagisa, not as sex slaves!) and ends with tooth-rotting fluff and promises.





	Ready, Set, Sold!

**Author's Note:**

> Wrote this like, 2 years ago when I was still in love with Free!

"Gou-chan, we're out of money!" Nagisa says one day, cheerfully, as if announcing that they're all being shipped off to Mars to search for aliens. Of course, usually what Nagisa finds amusing is not what the rest of the Iwatobi swim club finds amusing as well. Some would say he has a certain sense of humor. Others would say that he's just an idiot.

"Don't call me Gou!" Gou replies with the same enthusiasm she had replied with the first one hundred times, temporarily distracted more by the name-not-to-be-used than the financial state of the club, which shows exactly where her priorities are (muscles first, in case one is wondering). She then frowns. "We've always been low on money, but we're fine right now, aren't we? We don't need any more at the moment."

"That doesn't matter!" Nagisa insists. He pouts and looks at her with puppy eyes which hold no effect whatsoever on her cold heart. Gou raises her eyebrow, and Nagista starts whining. "What if we need floaties? Or water guns? We need a noodle, a noodle!"

"Why would we need those?" Gou asks, and Nagisa's pout becomes even more pronounced. Gou is still not moved.

"We worked so  _hard_ , Gou-chan, we should have a bit more fun!" Nagisa promptly grabs Rei and clutches at him with a tenacity previously not known to man until Nagisa was born. There are many firsts when it comes to him. Rei is dragged along like a limp doll and accepts everything like he was born to put up with Nagisa's antics. "Ne, ne, Rei-chan, we should relax more, right?"

"We should be  _studying_  is what we should be doing! We have finals coming up, and swim season is actually over, Nagisa-san," Rei responds and pushes up his glasses so they reflect the sunlight. It's really not as impressive looking as he seems to think it is. "Inflatables are also not very beautiful."

"But they're so  _fun_ ," Nagisa whines and turns his pout and puppy eyes on Rei. Unlike Gou, who's only narrowed her eyes disapprovingly, Rei has not built up an immunity to Nagisa's nagging, as shown when he was bullied into joining the swim club in the first place. Thus, it's obvious that he has no immunity against the powerful force now.

"I-I suppose there would be no harm," Rei stutters, flushing and clearly embarrassed that he can't resist Nagisa when Gou clearly can. In fact, it suddenly dawns on him that he's probably the  _only_ Iwatobi club member unable to resist Nagisa. It makes him feel spineless and weak all of a sudden.

Nagisa cheers before Gou interrupts him firmly.

"Makoto's the captain, isn't he? You'll have to confirm with him first," Gou points out, certain that she's won. If there's one thing she's certain about, it's that Makoto is serious about his studies and will be studying for finals from here on out. Thus, Makoto will most certainly not stand for whatever scheme Nagisa cooks up. Gou frowns. What exactly  _is_ Nagisa's scheme anyways? Something to do with money…

"Mako-chaaan!" Nagisa calls over to Makoto, who's pausing to take a break on the opposite end of the swimming pool. Thus, Nagisa is perfectly justified in screaming off everybody's ear. "We're out of moneeey!"

Makoto's pauses a moment to catch his breath as well as let his mind catch up with what exactly Nagisa's saying. He usually isn't at his brightest after racing from one end of the pool to the other. Oxygen deprivation does that to a person. "How do you know that?" Makoto shouts back at a much more acceptable pitch and volume.

Nagisa has no such reserves. "I'm the treasurer! Did you forget?" The shriek is ear-splitting. Rei and Gou both inch away from the short blond, and even Ama, who's relaxing under her umbrella, abandons her comfort to move to a seat further away. Her ideal spot should be peaceful, warm but not overly hot, and shaded. These requirements are not fulfilled when Nagisa is shouting.

It also seems that everybody has, indeed, forgotten that Nagisa is the treasurer. They don't know if they're more surprised by the fact that someone put Nagisa in charge of money or the fact that Nagisa's actually done his job for once.

…who exactly decided to put the hyperactive, perpetually cheerful, immensely annoying (to Gou) blond as the treasurer anyways? Gou decides to put it down to temporary insanity and forces her mind off of her current train of thought for her own personal safety. Thinking about it any further might induce a migraine and a sudden urge to bash her own head in.

Makoto pauses and cocks his head like an inquisitive puppy. It's endearing, but due to constant exposure, most of the Iwatobi swim club is immune to this effect as well. Just like Nagisa's pout and puppy eyes. Except for Rei, because he's spineless and weak.

"We should raise some, for next year's swim club," Makoto muses, and Gou's faith in the captain is immediately torn to shreds, burned, and tossed to the four winds. "We can't leave the club bankrupt."

"But the school's helping to pay for most of our expenses," Gou rebuts because she's  _determined_ to win this argument. If there's one thing she's learned this year, it's that Nagisa is the devil's spawn in disguise, and that any plans he makes are a Bad Idea. Nobody else seems to have received this message.

"We'll fund some of the club's activities, but we can't pay for everything you need." Ama tilts her head and points her finger in the air, and everybody knows what's coming. "As Thomas Jefferson once said, 'Never spend your money before you have earned it.' So, you should raise some money if you want to spend it later. Also, do not look to the school for your funds."

Gou begins to protest because Ama's quote has almost  _nothing_ to do with the argument right now (which is that Nagisa should  _not_ propose any hare-brained scheme to raise money) and everything to do with the fact that Ama is too lazy to bring up the issue of raising the swim club's funds to the school. That quote makes nearly no sense in this context since the school can simply give them more money.

Unfortunately, Gou is the only one who notices because she's the only one with  _sense_ around here, and Nagisa latches onto Ama's support like a leech. A sea-leech. Perhaps a remora.

"See, even Ama-chan supports us!" Nagisa screeches despite the fact that Gou, unlike Makoto, is standing right beside him. Perhaps he's trying to make up for the height difference with the volume of his voice.

"Well…" Gou flounders much like she would if she was thrown into the pool. She's not good at swimming, okay, don't judge her. "You haven't asked Haru yet!"

When everybody directs their gazes at Haru, who's submerged in the water up to his nose and looking out at them with disinterested eyes, he merely gurgles unintelligibly and ducks underneath the surface. Nagisa takes that as a support for his plan, which still hasn't been revealed because Nagisa is secretly the devil in disguise.

Gou still tries to put up resistance because she is certain that Nagisa is a horrible, horrible person.

"Yay!" Nagisa jumps at Gou, and the manager tries to squirm away to no avail because Nagisa is wet and smells like chlorine and his nasty pool water-soaked hair is getting in her mouth. She spits it out because nobody wants to taste pool water hair. Hell, she wouldn't want to taste either pool water or hair voluntarily if she can help it. One implies that she's drowning, and the other implies that someone's trying to force dead cells into her mouth. Nagisa is also still attached to Rei, which results in Rei being pulled into the impromptu embrace as well, which results in wet pool water hair in her mouth  _and_ her eyes.

Gou resigns to her fate, as often happens when faced with the relentless force of nature that is Hazuki Nagisa.

"Fine. What's your plan?"

"Weeell." Nagisa pulls away from Gou (dragging Rei with him, thank  _god_ ) and puts a finger to his mouth as if he hadn't already planned everything out in advance because he's evil incarnate.

* * *

Gou is very, very enthusiastic about this plan. Protests? She remembers no such thing. In fact, she supports this plan 100%. It's a fabulous, wonderful plan, and she has no idea why she ever didn't want Nagisa, who is God's gift to man, to plan out a fundraiser.

"An auction?" Makoto asks cluelessly when everybody is no longer covered in nasty pool water and back in their regular clothes. Except Haru, because Haru was probably born in the water and every second away from it is like being separated from everything that's good in the world.

"We're going to auction the four of you after finals are over." Gou decides to mimic Nagisa and smiles innocently as if she has nothing whatsoever up her sleeve. Everybody but Nagisa gets shivers down their spines because this is, after all, Nagisa's plan. "You're going to be sold to the person who bids the highest price for the first month of summer. And you have to be in your jammers the whole time and wear nothing else."

Naturally, this is no problem at all for Haru, because he always wears his jammers all the time regardless. He also feels no shame in not wearing any clothes in public. After all, he  _is_ the one who strips impulsively in the middle of parks and attempts to submerge himself in the most recent drinking fountain he spots.

Gou is suddenly very, very glad that Haru's in love with water.

"W-we can't do that!" Makoto flushes red because how  _scandalous_! "Isn't something like this illegal?"

Nagisa tilts his head curiously. "But we wouldn't do anything illegal, would we, Makoto?"

Makoto honestly doesn't know what to say to that question. He doesn't respond. His mind most definitely does  _not_  flash to the horror stories of sex slavery and prostitution and being cut up into itty bitty pieces, boxed, and shipped off to be sold to different science facilities and black markets.

Makoto is suddenly very afraid for his livelihood.

Rei is equally hesitant. "That would be so unbeautiful!"

"I don't think that's what most of the female population would say when faced with those pectoral muscles," Gou muses and leers at Rei's chest as if she can see through his clothes. Rei covers himself with his arms just in case she  _can._ One can never tell.

"I think it's a great idea. How proactive all of my students are," Ama sighs dreamily before she gathers her umbrella and trots off merrily. "I look forward to this event!"

In the end, the auction is scheduled, flyers are made and posted, and the Iwatobi swim club members' fates are sealed. Really, Makoto's the only one who still is not convinced that this is not a Bad Idea. Nagisa doesn't care because this is his idea in the first place, Haru doesn't care because he's a not-so-secret exhibitionist and any excuse to wear only jammers in public is a good one, Gou doesn't care because  _muscles_ , and Rei doesn't care because he's spineless and weak. Or rather, Rei does care but, because he's spineless and weak, he doesn't raise any protest.

Ama's just happy that she doesn't have to go through the forms to request more funds.

* * *

"Oi, Sousuke, have you heard about this?" Rin asks, tapping the flyer that he recently received from his sister. The fact that she was practically salivating while giving it to him piqued his curiosity in the first place, and the contents of the flyer has now made him incredibly curious about what exactly was going through the Iwatobi swim club's heads when they decided on this event as a fundraiser. Knowing them, probably nothing.

Sousuke, who's reading a book with one of his earbuds in his ear and the other dangling so that he can hear Rin speak, only grunts in acknowledgement.

"Iwatobi's planning on selling their bodies for money."

Sousuke grunts again and flips a page.

"They'll be marching around shirtless."

Sousuke picks up his music player and skips the current song. He's looking for something nice and soothing, probably soundscape, at the moment.

"They're gonna belong to someone else for the first month of summer."

Sousuke scratched at his stomach. Is he getting a rash?

"Makoto's having sex with Haru. Their favorite position is the 69. Haru's really skilled at using his tongue. I hear that he has no gag reflex."

Sousuke begins to make a sound of acknowledgement before he chokes on his spit and sits up, coughing. However, the top bunk is inconveniently close to the ceiling, and Sousuke's head makes contact with the hard surface with a very loud and alarming  _bang!_  Rin's not overly concerned.

" _What._ "

"Have you seen this?" Rin shakes the flyer in front of Sousuke's face.

Sousuke grabs it and keeps hacking, tears in his eyes. He glares up at his best friend.

" _What was that about Nanase and Makoto_."

"Nothing." Rin flops into his chair, smug as a cat that has just gotten the cream  _and_ the canary and is in the process of blending the two together to make a very satisfying milkshake. "Read that."

Sousuke skims the flyer. "I don't see why you had to show me this." He lowers his impressive eyebrows and frowns. Rin is used to this form of intimidation and thus is not affected because he's not spineless and weak.

"Because we're going," Rin says gleefully. "This is going to be  _great_."

Rin's persuasive skills need some work because Sousuke is not convinced that going to an event where his fellow swimmers will be selling their bodies for a month is going to be 'great'. There's probably a reason why Rin failed all of his speech classes.

"I still don't see why we need to go."

However, what Rin lacks in persuasion, he makes up for in Sousuke's unerring loyalty.

"Because I want to go, and you're coming with me."

Sousuke should really invest in better friends.

In the end, Rin has also persuaded Ai to tag along because Ai has a somewhat disturbing fixation with his senpai as well as Momotarou because wherever Gou is, Momotarou is convinced he will be as well. It's  _fate_ , and who is Momotarou to deny such a force?

Sousuke's convinced that, by the end of the year, he  _will_ get new friends because it seems like he's the only sane one in the group. He agrees to go if only to babysit them because who knows what kind of havoc they'll wreak at another school.

* * *

_Iwatobi Swim Club Presents:_

_Post-Finals Auction!_

_You will have a chance to own a member of the Iwatobi Swim Club for the first month of summer! Any clothing except for jammers will not be worn by any members. You are allowed to command them to do anything you want (within reason!) and cater to your every need._

_The auction will take place in the school auditorium. We hope to see you there!_

Below these words is a picture of Iwatobi-chan, drawn by Haru, as well as pictures of Makoto, Haru, Nagisa, and Rei taken personally by Gou. Gou has made sure to make every muscle stand out in detail, with drool-worthy chest and arms displayed tantalizingly.

(She's permanently saved these pictures. Nobody will ever find out.)

* * *

Sousuke is pushed uncomfortably into the corner of the auditorium. Rin is smirking wickedly, hands clutching his chin like he's a particularly evil villain and teeth bared like a monster that has no compunctions about eating little children and using their bones for toothpicks. Never mind the fact that even baby's bones are too big to use as toothpicks for Rin's anatomically impossible teeth. Sousuke's often wondered if Rin has some kind of birth defect that's resulted in scarily sharp teeth.

Ai is currently jumping up and down because unlike Sousuke, he isn't built like a goddamn mountain, and he wants to see over everybody's heads. Momotarou is scanning everywhere for his beloved Gou-chan.

Sousuke is most decidedly not amused and can think of ten thousand other places he would rather be.

The audience is a mix of males and females. The males are there (most probably) to try to bid for Gou while the females are attempting to pickpocket each other for money. Sousuke never knew that the swim club was this popular. It's more likely due to the prospect of having a male do anything for a whole month shirtless than the fact that it's the swim club, even if they are very fit. They're still not as fit as Sousuke is, though.

"All right! It's time to begin the auction! The starting bid for all members will be 500 yen!" Gou says into a microphone. Sousuke hears a voice that sounds much like Nagisa's shouting "hey, we're much more than 500 yen!" in indignation, but Gou merely speaks a bit louder to cover this protest. "First out will be Ryuugazaki Rei!"

Rei walks out in his jammers, and the price starts to rise. Rei is obviously very uncomfortable with this position and is constantly adjusting his glasses self-consciously. He attempts a smile when Gou hisses at him to "look more approachable", but the attempt falls flat when the bid has reached 2000 yen. Fortunately, a flustered Rei is apparently very attractive to females, and the bidding is continued with much enthusiasm.

Sousuke develops a fear of women at this moment. They're wolves wearing sheep's clothing, he's sure they are.

"5000 yen!"

There's nobody willing to top that bid, and Rei's ego is hurt a bit. 5000 yen? Is that all a month's worth of time in his naked presence and servitude is worth these days? He sulks a bit before he sees that it's  _Nagisa_ who has bought him. This cheers him up in turn.

Nobody questions the fact that one swim club member has bought another. Sousuke is starting to question this school's collective sanity.

"Next up is the adorable Hazuki Nagisa!" Gou announces, and there is a renewed energy in the crowd. Everybody seems to realize at once that they may be getting two members for the price of one since Rei has officially been purchased by Nagisa.

Nagisa postures several times, jumping around like a child that was unwisely given all of his Halloween candy at once, and there are several coos that join in the screamed bids. He makes strange faces, and the bids keep climbing higher and higher. Rei's ego is crushed a bit more because he's spineless and weak.

Finally, the bids start slowing down, since it seems that a particularly scary group of girls has agreed to an alliance and, thus, has pooled their money together to cooperatively buy Nagisa. Sousuke is exceptionally grateful that Rin never enrolled in Iwatobi and instead decided on the much more sane Samezuka.

"We have 15000 yen! Going once, going twice, aaand sold!" Gou says excitedly as she ogles Nagisa's very nice arm muscles wrap around Rei's very nice waist. Nagisa is attached to Rei like a limpet again and is actively trying to drag the larger male towards the group of girls. Gou thoroughly approves of Nagisa's proactive attitude.

"And now, to take a little break from the males, we'll be selling…that's right, folks, I'm part of the auction too!" Gou waggles her fingers and winks at the crowd, which sends all the males into a flurry of cheers and perverted fantasies.

Rin is not amused. Sousuke is baffled. Momotarou, on the other hand, starts nagging his senpai and Ai for money.

"Do you have any money? Can I have your money? Pleaaase?" Momotarou pleads Ai, who's just about as spineless and weak as Rei is. Ai hands over everything in his pockets (which is, for some reason, a huge amount of 10000 yen), and Momotarou turns his pleading eyes to Rin and Sousuke.

"What."

Rin glares at Gou, glares at the crowd of guys rushing to the front of the stage to start the bidding, and then glares at Momotarou, as if this is all his fault. He debates the pros and cons of watching his sister being sold off to hungry wolves or to Momotarou, whom he can keep a very firm leash on as opposed to some unknown guy, and decides on the lesser evil.

Rin shoves an additional 5000 yen into Momotarou's hands (he always carries around 20000, don't question why) and hisses, "If you don't win this, I'll personally castrate you, chop you up into centimeter sized pieces, and feed you to the sharks. You hear me?"

Momotarou gulps and nods frantically before rushing to the front of the stage himself.

Much to Rin's and Sousuke's relief, Momotarou wins by a slim margin, and Momotarou returns looking like he'd just beat his brother in a swimming competition. Well, to be fair, Momotarou just  _had_ won a month long date with Gou, which Seijuurou had never managed to do before. Momotarou is very satisfied.

"Alright, next up is Nanase Haruka!"

Haru is pushed onstage by Gou (who has to stay until the auction is over). Haru looks utterly and completely disinterested in everything that is happening. He scans the crowd with bored eyes, not at all impressed by the hoard of girls raising their hands and screaming numbers, until he spots the Samezuka group. His eyes widen slightly before he huffs and keeps looking around the auditorium.

"Wait, if he's going to be stuck here for the first month of summer, he won't be able to train much," Rin muses, because when his mind's not stuck on swimming, it's stuck on Haru. Sousuke is sure that the two are destined to be life partners, if not by romance, then by platonic friendship.

And then what Rin has said rams into Sousuke like an enraged hippo that has found out that there are humans encroaching on its territory and is determined to maul all of them to death.

Haru will not be able to train. Thus, he will have a decreased opportunity to competitively swim against Rin. Thus, Haru will not be able to keep Rin motivated. Thus, Rin will drop out of swimming. Thus, Sousuke will lose his best friend  _again_ and have to intimidate Haru into motivating Rin.

It's a logical thought process. Sousuke is determined not to let it happen.

"Hand over the rest of your money," Sousuke growls. He is determined to buy Haru, and then once he's got him, he's determined to make Haru train his ass off.

It has nothing to do with the fact that the thought of Haru in another person's greedy claws sends him into a blind rage. Of course not, and anyone who thinks so really needs to get his or her head checked.

Rin is bemused but hands over the rest of his 15000 yen. When combined with Sousuke's own 15000 as well as a mysteriously procured amount of 5000 (a nearby girl suddenly looks through her purse and cries in dismay when she finds her wallet empty), Sousuke marches right up to the front and announces, "35000 yen."

Nobody can top that price, and Haru is unceremoniously hauled from the stage to the corner Rin, Ai, and Momotarou are in. He's set down, and Haru blinks at them lazily.

"What are you doing up there," Sousuke growls, and it's not even a question really, because Haru was on the verge of selling his body to a group of girls. Realizing how much like a jealous lover he sounds, Sousuke quickly tacks on, "If you'd been sold to any of those hyenas, you might not have been able to touch water for the next month."

This draws a suitably horrified expression from Haru. Sousuke is pleased by the dawning realization his statement has caused in the otherwise unruffled teen and turns around to watch Makoto being bodily lifted by a deceptively tiny and slim girl and carried away like a princess.

There are murmurs of disappointment at the loss of such a fine specimen.

"All right! If everyone who has won a bid tonight will follow me backstage, I'd like to lay down a few ground rules. Thank you all for your support, and have a good summer!" Gou looks greedily at the bucket full of money they've raised, and Sousuke can actually  _see_ her growing devil horns and a tail. It's, quite frankly, horrifying.

Nevertheless, the deceptively slim but strong girl as well as the group of girls who've bought Nagisa (and by association, Rei) and the Samezuka group meet up backstage. Gou's already there and is handing over the money to Ama, who is also delighted that she doesn't have to fill out more forms on the behalf of the swimming club. Less paperwork makes for a happier Ama.

"So rule one, everything must be consensual," Gou starts, ticking off one finger. There are several disappointed sighs from the girls, and Gou shoots them a sharp glance. Makoto's looking for terrified by the second. However, as much as Gou likes making money as well as seeing muscles on display, she will  _not_ stand for any forced acts going on as a result of this fundraiser. She has morals (which seem to conveniently skip over the fact that she's  _selling human beings_ ). "That means if the bought absolutely refuses to do something, you are not allowed to make them do it. However, this also means that unless the act makes the bought incredibly uncomfortable, the bought  _must_ do as the buyer says.

"Secondly...well, there's really no second rule. Unless you plan on selling of the swim club members into sex slavery. That's also a big no-no, but I feel like that falls under the consent rule," Gou muses, looking at her single raised finger and pondering if there are any more rules. There are not, and Gou lets her hand drop. She claps her hands. "I hope you enjoy your month!"

The group of girls departs with a bouncing Nagisa and Rei, and the small girl lays a hand on Makoto, smiles a smile not unlike Rin's, and drags the poor, oblivious Makoto away. Sousuke is again thanking every god there is that he had not enrolled in Iwatobi.

Sousuke glances at Haru, who's staring at nothing in particular, and then at Momotarou, who's leapt at Gou. Rin manages to snag the back of Momotarou's collar and drags him away, a wail of "Gou-chaaan" following the pair. Ai yelps in surprise and races after them. Gou tilts her head before asking a perfectly reasonable question.

"If nii-chan didn't want me being sold to anyone else, why didn't he just buy me himself?"

Sousuke blinks and then shrugs. He turns and stalks after Rin, Haru and Gou right behind him.

…right, now what's he supposed to do with Haru.

* * *

It turns out that, even if another girl had bought Haru, she wouldn't have been able to handle his propensity to dive into any source of water at first sight. Even Sousuke's not sure if he's able to handle it at the moment, and he's the one who was determined to make Haru practice swimming as much as possible.

"Get out of there, Nanase," Sousuke sighs for the billionth time he finds the other teen bathing in the fountain. There are disapproving glares from elderly people and a couple seems right about ready to call the police. Sousuke is sure he must have done something unforgiveable in his past life to deserve this. "Nanase, get  _out_."

Haru only looks up at him like a petulant child. He murmurs something at the water, and Sousuke is done. He's so done with this shit. He pulls out his cellphone and dials Makoto.

"Hey, how am I supposed to get Nanase out of the water?" he asks after Makoto picks up the phone. There's a distinct female voice in the background, and Sousuke wonders how Makoto's holding up. It's only been a week, and Sousuke is already ready to wash his hands of this whole thing.

There's a hum before Makoto replies. "Well, the first step is to prevent it from happening in the first place. If you don't let him strip and approach the water, then there's no problem. Once he's in, you'll just have to figure out an incentive that he wants more than water."

Sousuke mumbles, "Which is  _what_?"

Makoto laughs gently. Everything Makoto does is gentle. It kind of pisses Sousuke off sometimes. "You'll just have to ask. Rika-chan needs me to do something, otherwise I'd come over and help you myself. If you have anything else to ask, don't hesitate to call me."

Makoto hangs up, and Sousuke is left with useless advice and a dial tone. He sighs and pockets his phone. He hopes that whatever Makoto and Rika-chan are doing ends in absolute disaster of the same proportion that he has on his hands right now. If he doesn't get Haru out of the water, there's a distinct chance that they'll both get arrested for public disturbance and indecency, and Sousuke will  _not_ let something like that mar his perfectly clean record.

(He's never engaged in illegal activities. Missing money? Buying an underage boy? What are you talking about?)

He stalks over to Haru, who's mumbling to the water as if it can talk back. Sousuke clears his throat pointedly, and Haru glances up.

"What can I do to get you out of there  _right now_?" Sousuke manages to grit out, and Haru tilts his head and seems like he's actually listening for the first time since the moment he submerged himself in the fountain like a fish left too long in the air. For all he knows, Haru might actually be part fish, but then he remembers that Haru's favorite food is mackerel, and wouldn't that be something like cannibalism? Sousuke determinedly does not think about it.

"Stop calling me Nanase," Haru burbles, mouth halfway under the surface, and it takes a while for Sousuke to decipher what exactly Haru's trying to say.

"Then what am I supposed to call you?" Sousuke sighs, and Haru's eyes brighten. It's not adorable at all.

"Haru."

Sousuke sighs (he seems to be doing that a lot, ever since that stupid auction) and says grudgingly, "Fine. Haru. Will you get out of the water now?"

Haru blinks before obligingly stands up. Sousuke covers his face with his hand so he doesn't get secondhand embarrassment by the shameless way Haru is walking around with only swimwear on.

"Put on some clothes. Please."

Haru blinks at him again before replying, "I'm not supposed to. It's part of the auction agreement."

"I don't care. This is an order," Sousuke says, the first time he's ordered Haru to do anything. He really hasn't needed to order Haru to practice his swimming, because Haru does it anyways the moment they catch sight of a pool. "Let's go." Sousuke manages to grab Haru's wrist before Haru has any second thoughts about diving into the park fountain again, and the two march to Sousuke's dorm for clothes before Sousuke can hear the sound of police sirens.

* * *

Haru in Sousuke's clothes is very…

Sousuke isn't quite sure if he can put it into words. The sight induces mixed feelings.

He finds out that Haru is a very skinny thing. Somehow, when he's usually in just his jammers, Haru seems fit, muscular and lithe, darting below the water like some kind of dolphin. Here, though, drowning in Sousuke's shirt and the smallest pair of pants the larger teen could find, Haru seems…tiny.

"I don't think your clothes fit me," Haru deadpans.

"No really. I hadn't noticed," Sousuke snaps back, voice dripping sarcasm. Indeed, Haru looks really ridiculous with an overly large shirt and pants. He glances at Rin's drawers and hums before calling the redhead.

"What?" Rin answers quite rudely before he hisses to the side, "Gou, stop that, it's just Sousuke. Let me talk to my friend."

Gou seems to have taken this as a challenge and when Sousuke hears her reply, it's quite clear. "But we're having sister-brother bonding time! Plus, you're the one who tagged along in the first place."

"I'm not the one who bought you. Go bother Momotarou."

"But then he'll ask for a date. Are you suuure you want your innocent little sister going on a date?"

Sousuke clears his throat pointedly when Haru starts poking around Sousuke's desk. He impatiently swats away the hand that has gone to poke at a picture of him and Rin. "As much as I love hearing how things are going on on your end, I have a question."

"Is it about getting Haru out of the water?"

 _I could have used that advice thirty minutes ago_ , Sousuke thinks peevishly. "No. Can I borrow some of your clothes?"

"Why?"

"Nanase-" and here, Haru gives him a sullen glare and a pointed glance in the direction of the Samezuka swimming pool, and Sousuke quickly corrects himself. "I mean, Haru's walking around in his jammers, and I really don't want an exhibitionist following me around."

"But isn't he  _supposed_ to only wear his jammers?"

"Is Gou wearing clothes right now, or is she walking around in a two piece bikini?"

There's silence on the other end of the phone. Well, no, there's only silence from Rin. It seems that Momotarou is pestering Gou, who's chatting excitedly about fish and sashimi and wondering if shark fin tastes good.

"It does  _not_ , stop asking if you can eat the most expensive thing in the restaurant." Rin tone of voice seems to imply that he's fearing for his own continued existence. Sousuke clears his throat again. Rin really needs to do something about his attention issues.

"Rin."

"Ah, sorry, yeah, you can borrow my clothes. Just make sure he washes it before he returns it."

"Thanks."

And before Sousuke can hear any more about shark fin soup and the taste of dolphin (which Sousuke does not admit he's curious about at all, because he's  _not_ ), he hangs up and turns to Haru, who's given up exploring the room in boredom and has taken up residence on Sousuke's top bunk.

"Haru, get down here and change clothes. Afterwards, we're getting dinner, and then you're going home so I can escape your lackluster presence for a while." Sousuke's tired, okay. Haru's lack of personality seems to be leeching his own energy. It's like Haru's a black hole that's pulling in Sousuke's vitality, and Sousuke just wants to get away from those blue eyes for a while.

Haru narrows his eyes in offense before pulling Sousuke's comforter over his head and burrowing under it like some kind of mouse. A fish mouse. Sousuke is not amused.

"Get out, Haru."

Sousuke feels like he's getting a taste of parenthood right now. He's never having children.  _Never_.

"I'll take you to the aquarium tomorrow," Sousuke bribes. He catches a flash of Haru's blue, blue eyes peering at him from underneath the blankets before there's a condescending  _hmph_ and he disappears again.

"I'll find Rin. You guys can race."

No answer.

"…I'll get some mackerel, and we can grill it for dinner."

This  _does_ produce a response. The comforter flies off the bed, and the next thing Sousuke knows after he catches the flyaway comforter before it can touch the floor and piles it back on the bunk, Haru has magically changed into Rin's clothes (which are much better fitting by the way, and doesn't make Sousuke's stomach do strange things) and is ready to go.

Sousuke thinks he deserves a medal for putting up with Haru. He wonders how Makoto does it.

* * *

The next day, all Sousuke wants to do is laze around the dorms. He'll be leaving for Tokyo in a couple of months to start university, and before then, he just wants to enjoy his freedom before he's back to studying.

But of course, contrary to his wishes, there's a knock on the door at precisely 9 am, and Rin kicks Sousuke's bunk from below and utters a guttural, "Get it. It's Haru."

Sousuke isn't quite sure how Rin knows this, but true to his prediction, Haru is standing outside the door, jammers donned and ready to go.

"What," Sousuke groans. It's too early, all he wants to do is  _sleep_ , and instead he gets fish-boy knocking on his door at some unholy hour on a summer day.

"We're going to the aquarium."

Sousuke stares at Haru's straight face. He glances at the clock (now 9:01, that's a minute's worth of sleep lost) and looks back at Haru. Haru enters the room without invitation, climbs into the top bunk, and hugs the pillow with his front facing the wall.

Sousuke stares at Haru, and Rin groans again.

"Sousuke, shut the door and go back to sleep," Rin complains. "Just go to the aquarium after Sousuke's awake and functioning, Haru. It's too  _early_."

And so, without his higher mental functions working at full capacity, Sousuke thinks  _fuck it_ and climbs back into his bed. He yanks the pillow out of Haru's hands and turns so that his own back is facing Haru's, and he falls asleep again with a firm back and warmth seeping into his skin.

* * *

"You have to promise you won't strip."

Haru stares at Sousuke before intoning, "You don't have to make me promise. I'm supposed to do whatever you want me to do. Just say it."

Sousuke facepalms, another thing he's been doing quite frequently lately along with sighing and getting exasperated, and says, "Haru, don't strip."

Haru hums before asking, "Can we go see the dolphins now?"

Sousuke wonders when he became Haru's handler. Oh, right, ever since Gou's stupid auction and Makoto got sold off. Now Sousuke's being used as a replacement (and suddenly he remembers that Haru's supposed to be training, that was the whole reason he even bought the stupid fish-boy in the first place) and is following Haru around. It's technically supposed to be the other way around, what with Haru being a sex slave and all, but Haru's the kind of silent pushy person who forces others to conform around his own daily activities. Thus, Sousuke is following Haru around.

After staring at the dolphins for a good thirty minutes, Sousuke manages to tug Haru away (still no stripping in sight yet), and the two meander over to the penguins. Haru tilts his head at the penguins and then tugs Sousuke away from the glass to go to where the cooler animals are. Namely, the sharks (and dolphins, but Haru's already seen the dolphins and Sousuke's not willing to spend another thirty minutes staring at them).

Haru frowns at a great white shark that seems intent on staring him down, and Sousuke wonders if Haru really is a fish. Maybe Haru's trying to communicate with it. Maybe the shark wants a bite out of Haru. The thought makes him uncomfortable, and he imagines the glass breaking and the sharking chomping at Haru.

Sousuke drags Haru far, far away from the staring great white. It's still staring after him, and Sousuke's sure that at some point in this trip, Haru's going to jump into the water and demand a race with the shark. Haru's the exact kind of crazy that would do that.

They visit the fluffier animals next.

"That one looks like Momotarou." There's a particular otter that's trying to crack open a clam with rock in its paws. It's whacking at the clam vigorously and is staring intently at it, as if its gaze and own force of will will make the clam reveal its innards.

"Back stroke?" Haru asks, and Sousuke hums in affirmation.

"I guess if you had to label us with animals, Rin would be a shark, and Momotarou would be an otter." Sousuke frowns. "Ai would be a seal." More consideration. "A baby seal." Pause. "Afraid of its own shadow."  _Because he's spineless and weak_ goes unsaid. "Or he could be a duck. A baby duck."

"Too bad there aren't any whale sharks," Haru frowns, and Sousuke glances down inquisitively.

"Why?"

Haru looks up, and his eyes pierce Sousuke like a harpoon. It's an unpleasant feeling. He's suddenly very happy he's not a whale, because then he'd be pretty dead, and Sousuke likes being alive.

"They're your favorite, aren't they?"

And Haru trots off to get a seat for the killer whale show. Sousuke's left behind as if Haru hadn't just read his personality like a book.

* * *

At some point in time, Haru and Sousuke have gathered in Haru's empty (and lonely, has Haru always been alone?) house to watch some American movie called  _Finding Nemo_. Sousuke isn't sure why one would want to look for a particular clown fish in the ocean but is willing to find out. Haru is only watching it because it involves water.

For some inexplicable reason, Gou's there (with clothes on as well, thank god), and where Gou is, Momotarou is as well, and where Gou and Momotarou are, Rin will surely be to keep them apart.

Thus, after much shuffling and elbowing and hissed " _move over, you're kneeing me_ ", Gou has taken up the whole couch, Momotarou is squished onto the end at her feet, Rin's lying on his stomach with a pillow in his arms, and Haru's sitting beside Sousuke, thighs brushing together every time Sousuke leans over for popcorn.

The movie starts, and Haru's fixated every time there's water (which is during almost the whole damn movie). Rin gets especially excited when the sharks arrive. Sousuke is bored because this is the weirdest thing he's ever seen. Fish don't  _talk_. What are sharks supposed to eat if they don't eat fish?  _Why is Rin crying?_

Haru seems to also have found the movie boring (or maybe it's just really late at night), because his head has plopped onto Sousuke's good shoulder. Haru's breathing deeply and slowly, which Sousuke knows means that he's asleep. It's not because Sousuke listens to Haru breath at night sometimes. That's creepy, who would do such a thing.

Nonetheless, Haru's fallen asleep (probably because of the lack of dolphins), and Sousuke doesn't have the heart to remove the head from its position. It's also probably coincidence that he falls asleep soon after, his own head dropping to rest gently on Haru's.

Rin takes a picture for blackmail purposes and then drags a quietly squealing Gou and besotted Momotarou away.

* * *

"So how's getting Haru to do your bidding going?" Rin asks several nights later like he doesn't know at all (there's still a photo hidden on his phone), and Sousuke gives him a withering look. Rin cackles unapologetically, and Sousuke hopes that one day, Rin will be stuck with the most rambunctious, stubborn devil spawn for a kid.

"It's more like I'm doing everything he wants," Sousuke mutters into his pillow, fully prepared to fall asleep and ignore his best friend. Unfortunately for Sousuke, Rin is not a person to be ignored. If he were, he'd never have caught Haru's acceptance as a relay partner in the first place, and then none of this would have happened because Rin wouldn't have even known Haru. Sousuke wishes viciously that Rin had a less stubborn personality and ignores the small pang that goes through his chest at the thought.

"Yeah, he's a bastard," Rin replies cheerfully. "You should take him to the ocean tomorrow. He loves the ocean."

"We'll be there all day." The idea is not attractive in any way.

Later that night, Sousuke opens the door when there's insistent knocking to find Haru decked out in pajamas. Haru climbs into Sousuke's bed without a word like he's been doing ever since he arrived that one morning at 9, and Sousuke only groans before nudging the teen over to make room for his much bigger and more muscular body.

They end up going to the beach anyways at 11 because there's only two weeks left and because Haru needs to practice if he wants to compete against Rin in the Olympics. It's a much more acceptable hour, and Sousuke is a pushover.

* * *

During the week, they run into Makoto and a girl that Sousuke suspects is this mysterious Rika-chan.

When Makoto spots Haru, he brightens and sweeps up the smaller male in a hug like he's a rag doll or a princess.

"Haru-chan!"

"Drop the –chan."

Naturally, Makoto doesn't listen.

"Sousuke," Makoto greets with a smile before he remembers his manners. He turns and introduces his companion.

"Rika-chan, this is Sousuke and Haru. Guys, this is Rika."

The petite woman shakes Sousuke's hands in a surprisingly harsh and strong grip, and Sousuke smiles politely and resists the urge to run in the opposite direction screaming. He vaguely remembers a girl physically hauling Makoto away, and he most decidedly does not want to get on her bad side.

"Ah, Haru-san, I've heard all about you from Makoto," Rika says when she goes to shake Haru's hand. Haru's expression doesn't change after he releases her hand and promptly turns away, seemingly disinterested in her company.

Sousuke narrows his eyes and flicks Haru on the forehead for being rude. Haru grumbles like an irate toddler.

"Sorry, he's being a baby again," Sousuke apologizes and looks down (because this girl is  _short_ ). "How's your summer been going?"

"It's been nice," Makoto answers. He rubs his head sheepishly. Sousuke throws a suspicious glance at Rika, because he doesn't know if the girl has been taking advantage of Makoto's kind nature and has been trying to convince him to date her.

The girl is not only deceptively strong but also astute. She interprets Sousuke's look and laughs a high, tinkling laugh, like wind chimes. It's soothing. "Don't worry. Like Gou-san had said, everything's consensual. We're good friends. I'm not really interested in a romantic relationship right now." With a mischievous look in her eyes, she whispers conspiratorially, "I just wanted to make all the other girls jealous and get to know Makoto better. He's a really nice guy and has a reputation for being a good guy and potential boyfriend in Iwatobi, you know."

It's now that Sousuke notices that Makoto's actually wearing clothes instead of just jammers like was mandated. Sousuke's kind of relieved that Makoto's managed to get an impish, if not nice, girl as a buyer. He can't really say the same for Nagisa and Rei, though. Haru, on the other hand, has looks up sharply at her words and doesn't look at all relieved. There's a distinct pout forming on his lips, and Sousuke can practically tell what Haru's thinking. He sighs.

"Makoto's not going to replace you. Stop being a needy child," Sousuke says, and Makoto is surprised. Sousuke's not sure why.

(It's surprising that Sousuke has only spent a couple of weeks with Haru and yet he's gotten to know the apathetic teen so well. It's taken Makoto  _years_  to be able to read Haru, and Sousuke has learned to do it so quickly. Makoto would say he's jealous, but he's really not because he's just happy that Haru's getting to know more people.)

"Haru-chan, you don't need to worry. You're still my best friend," Makoto assures, and Haru looks away, embarrassed. Rika laughs again, and any kind of tension that had formed within the group bleeds away. Sousuke ignores the jealousy that bubbles in his stomach at seeing Makoto's and Haru's familiarity with each other. It's a hot day, maybe Sousuke's getting heat stroke.

"Where are you guys headed?" Sousuke and Haru had been headed to the beach (again), but he hopes that whatever Makoto and Rika were planning to do would make room for two more so that Sousuke doesn't have to watch Haru relax in the sea water (something that he can't do anymore, ever since…).

"We were planning on buying some sandwiches and relaxing in the park for a while. Want to come?" Makoto invites, and Sousuke grabs it like a lifeline.

"We'll come."

Haru glares up mutinously, and Sousuke only lifts a commanding eyebrow. Haru frowns even harder but gives in.

* * *

"I want fish."

Haru must have been a very demanding child.

"It's 3 in the afternoon," Sousuke says. He digs his toes into the sand and relishes in the feel of the heat. The sun is shining on his naked skin, warming his shoulder and lessening the ache that's almost constant these days. "We'll get fish for dinner."

"I want fish  _now_."

Sousuke throws the teen an irritated glare. "Look here, Haru. Just because I bought you from that stupid auction doesn't make me your owner. You're a grown man, go get your own damn fish."

Haru narrows his eyes. He's just emerged from swimming in the ocean, and salt water is dripping from his skin. Sousuke does not follow the path of the droplets over collarbones and over muscles before they disappear from skin where his jammers cling. He does not.

Sousuke denies a lot of things these days. It's another habit that he's adopted ever since he acquired a tagalong in the form of a fish-boy.

"Mackerel."

Sousuke groans. He scans the beach, hoping that somebody up there will take mercy on his soul and produce a grilled fish stand on the beach. After peering over the heads of various beach goers and sandcastles, he finally spots a stand that seems to be selling grilled fish – and more specifically, grilled  _mackerel_. Miracle upon miracles. Sousuke throws a quick thank you to the kind entity that had taken mercy on him.

"There's a stand over there. Go get some yourself."

Haru still does not move. He's crossed his arms by now and seems to be willing Sousuke to stand up and guide him over there.

"Fish is good for you. You want one too."

"I most certainly do  _not_."

Haru narrows his eyes. "Fish makes you smarter. You clearly lacked it in your childhood. You need to make up for it now."

Sousuke sputters at the insult and growls, by now thoroughly irritated. "I do  _not need fish_."

Haru's frown becomes even more pronounced before he makes a move towards Sousuke's dry clothes, which are folded and lying on top of a towel. Haru grabs the towel along with the clothes threateningly and begins to carry it over to the ocean. Sousuke suddenly realizes Haru's intent and is very, very desperate to prevent Haru from dumping his perfectly clean clothes into the ocean.

"Fine, I'll go with you and I'll get a fish!"

Haru returns, smug, and Sousuke wishes that he'd never made the stupid bid at the stupid auction that gave him stupid Haru who follows him everywhere.

They end up each buying a fish, and Sousuke grudgingly admits that mackerel is actually pretty good, but doesn't voice this out loud because if he does, Haru is going to look at him like he was  _right_ , and Sousuke refuses to let that happen.

* * *

There's one week left, and the thought of Sousuke having to leave for Tokyo and Haru having to leave for training makes some kind of yawning, gaping black hole in his chest open up. For some reason, when the thought of not having Haru following him everywhere pops into his head, Sousuke wants to turn around and grab Haru's wrist and never let go.

Sousuke might have eaten something weird for dinner that night. Maybe that's why he's feeling this way.

"Stop shuffling," Haru mutters behind him. There's a pause before Haru's deep breaths resume, and he's asleep again.

Haru's gotten in the habit of sleeping in Sousuke's bunk these days. Rin makes fun of them, but after being reminded that he's a third wheel every day from following Momotarou and Gou around for the past month, he shuts up rather quickly.

Haru's body radiates heat, and without much thought, Sousuke presses his own back against the warmth as he debates what exactly is making his heart stutter like it's doing now.

Maybe there was something in the water.

There's a shuffle, and Haru flips over and shuffles even more (the hypocrite). The shorter male snuggles into Sousuke's back, and Sousuke's heart beats even faster.

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what exactly is making Sousuke flush like a schoolgirl.

_Shit._

* * *

They spot Rei and Nagisa at the local mall. Nagisa is in the middle of a crowd of girls, and he is, unlike Haru and Makoto and Gou are supposed to be, in his jammers. He's grinning and laughing as the girls coo and giggle beside him. They're holding out different shirts to his chest and wondering what exactly they should buy for the small blond. Rei's on the side (also in his jammers) and is tilting his head back and forth, hand on his chin and declaring that this particular shirt is beautiful or that particular pair of shorts is most decidedly  _not_  beautiful. There's also a rather flamboyant pink feather scarf around his neck, and he's got his own hoard of girls trying to force him to try out clothes.

Rei spots Sousuke and Haru, and relief washes over his face. He waves at them desperately, and Haru meanders over without Sousuke's permission.

"Haru-senpai!" Rei breathes out. He whispers loudly and pleadingly, "Get me out of here!"

Haru is entirely unsympathetic to Rei's plight. Sousuke is slightly more accommodating and draws Nagisa's attention.

"Hey, we're borrowing Rei for a bit. You mind?" Sousuke asks.

Nagisa lights up and shrieks a "Sou-chan! Haru-chan!" before replying, "Not at all. Rei-chan, go take a break!"

Sousuke mutters under his breath incredulously, " _Sou-chan?_ " Before he can wonder about his nickname, Rei strips himself of his accessories and hooks his arms around Haru and Sousuke. He hauls ass over to the food court and collapses in the seats.

"So how's your month been?" Sousuke asks, because he's just the tiniest bit sadistic, and he wants to see someone other than himself suffer from the effects of Iwatobi's ridiculous auction. Haru mutters that he'll go get food and drinks and trots off with Sousuke's wallet. Sousuke is only slightly grudging at its departure and is prepared to find his loose change gone. Of course, he still carries around 15000 yen because he never knows if he'll ever need it (for example, to buy a certain person from a certain auction).

"It's been…" Rei trails off, unable to speak badly of his best friend. "It's been…interesting."

Sousuke snorts, and the two commiserate over their shared pains.

"He just won't get out of the water, sometimes." Sousuke rolls his shoulder to get the stiffness out.

"I know how you feel," Rei sympathizes and leans forwards to prop his face in his hands. "I've been dragged around to every clothing store with Nagisa and made to try out everything, from shirts to skirts to pants to dresses. It's not beautiful at all."

It's useless to point out that Rei would have done it anyways because he's spineless and weak.

Sousuke thinks that Rei has it worse than he does and says so. Rei accepts the observation and agrees wholeheartedly. They bond a bit, and it's kind of wonderful, because Sousuke has never really gotten to know Rei other than as that guy that he had to compete with in relays.

Haru returns with drinks and burgers, and the three teens devour them with gusto.

"At least we only have a couple more days," Rei says with no small amount of relief.

The very thought makes Sousuke's chest tighten, and he turns away from his companions and swallows the mouthful of food he has in his mouth painfully. He drinks water in an attempt to chase down the dryness that's suddenly formed.

"Yeah."

* * *

"Haru, get out. It's eleven at night, I'm tired, and I really want to shower and sleep."

Sousuke wishes that he hadn't brought Haru to the pool. Sure, at first it'd been fine because Haru had been doing laps nonstop and this would ensure that his form wouldn't deteriorate during the month, but now? Now, Sousuke wishes he had a net and a shoulder strong enough to fish Haru out of the water.

Haru stares at Sousuke before ducking under the water and swimming away like the fishy bastard he is to the other side of the pool.

"Haru." Sousuke groans. He debates leaving the stupid teen here, but then he hears Rin's voice in his head accusing him of being a bad caretaker and demanding he return and get Haru, and he decides against it. If he also imagines a cold spot where there should be a warm back when he goes to sleep, he ignores it.

There's a spark of amusement in dark blue eyes, and if Sousuke didn't know better, he'd think Haru is  _teasing_ him. …on further thought, Haru's a bastard, and he probably  _is_ teasing him.

"Haru, I'll take you to the beach tomorrow, and we'll have mackerel for lunch and dinner if you get out of the pool  _right now_."

The offer tempts Haru, and he swims closer to Sousuke. Sousuke puts out his hand to help Haru out of the water, but Haru only glares at it suspiciously before there's a quicksilver smirk, and he slips away again to float in the middle of the pool.

"What can I do to make you get out?" Sousuke wonders despairingly, and he doesn't expect a reply. When he receives one, he's surprised by the fact that he got one as well as what Haru says.

"Come swim with me."

Sousuke sighs and sits on the ground, ready for a very long session of trying to convince Haru to part from his beloved water.

"I can't," Sousuke says, and there's a trace of bitterness in his voice. He wants to,  _god_  he wants to, but his shoulder won't let him. It was only when he was swimming that he felt like he could truly  _connect_ with Rin, and he kind of wants to experience swimming against Haru. But he  _can't_. "You know why. Get out of the water and stop being difficult."

"You can swim."

"Haru, stop being ridiculous. Get out." Sousuke's patience is wearing thin.

"No. Come swim with me," is the petulant reply.

"Haru…" Sousuke growls, and now there truly is an edge of anger to his voice.

"You can do it.

" _No I can't!_ "

The shout reverberates inside the building. Haru is gazing at him with unreadable eyes, and Sousuke looks away because he can't stand seeing pity again. He can't stand the Haru lights up when he first jumps into a swimming pool, can't stand watching Rin dart through the water powerfully like some kind of predator. He can't swim anymore, can't feel the freedom that Haru's always preaching about on and on and on about because it's too late. He's realized what he's been missing but there's nothing he can do anymore, and even if he has fulfilled his dream to swim with Rin once again, there's still regret that he hadn't taken better care of his body.

"Yes you can, but you don't want to."

Everything catches up to him. Exhaustion from the past month, from having to follow Haru around. Fatigue from everything he's been carrying on his shoulders, everything he hasn't told Rin. Weariness of the future, because without swimming, what's he good for anymore?

"I can't."

"You can't swim competitively, but you can still get in the water. Let the water take care of you."

Sousuke barks a laugh. If there's anything he's learned, it's that Haru thinks the water is the solution to all problems.

"Just get out of the water, Haru."

It seems like the pain in his voice, previously so well hidden but now stripped bare, is enough to convince Haru to give in. Haru swims over and holds his hand out demandingly, and Sousuke really, really hopes that Haru's given in. Sousuke grabs the hand and prepares to yank the stubborn teen out.

Instead, there's a sudden pull, and Sousuke tumbles into the pool.

When he surfaces, Haru's mischievous eyes are crinkled, and it's obvious that he's in a playful mood despite all the angsting that Sousuke's been doing.

"I bet you can't catch me."

And maybe he can't, but Sousuke's determined to try. And when he gets his hands on the slippery son of a bitch, he's going to gut him like the fish he is and grill him over charcoal and eat him with rice and miso soup, make him see what it's like for the mackerel he ruthlessly devours every day.

"Get over here, you brat," Sousuke growls and lunges at Haru.

Haru lets Sousuke come within a couple centimeter's distance before ducking under the water and wriggling away from Sousuke's grasping fingers.

This chase lasts for a good hour, and before he knows it, Sousuke is laughing like he hasn't laughed since he was last in the pool. Instead of catching Haru, Sousuke's trying to splash as much water at him as he can. There's a giant smile on his lips, and exhilaration makes his heart pound.

When Haru swims too close, Sousuke manages to get his arms around the smaller teen's waist. He pulls the squirming male to his chest so there's no chance at all that Haru can escape, and when he looks down into blue eyes, there's happiness.

Haru  _let_ himself get caught. Sousuke can't find it in himself to care.

"You  _can_ swim," Haru says, and Sousuke understands. He leans down and brushes his lips against Haru's as joy blooms in his heart, and Haru presses upwards chastely for a good five seconds before the twinkle in his eyes warns Sousuke that something's going to happen. Sousuke ends up face-to-face with a huge wave of water as Haru darts away again, and the chase is on once more.

Maybe Haru's right. Maybe the water does solve everything.

* * *

"It's a good thing I don't need this anymore," Rin muses as he shows both Sousuke and Haru the picture on his phone. It's really adorable, to be honest, but Sousuke's flustered and blushing. Haru just blinks lethargically.

"Send that to me," Haru says, and Rin cackles.

* * *

It's the last night of the first month of summer, and Haru's leaning against Sousuke. Despite the fact that it's summer, there's still a slight chill in the air. The moon is hanging in the sky, and dots of stars shine as brightly as they can, as if they're trying to outshine the moon.

Sousuke wraps the blanket around himself and Haru more tightly, and they lean against the sand mountain they've build and stare out at the ocean. The waves crash against the shore, lapping at their bare feet, and Sousuke wiggles his toes.

"Ne, Sousuke," Haru mutters. The wind ruffles his hair and blows the black strands into Sousuke's face. Sousuke shifts so that he's not eating hair. He grunts in acknowledgement when he's safe from Haru's attacking hair. "Tonight's the last night."

"So?" Sousuke asks, and his heart clenches despite his careless words. He has, as much as he had tried not to, enjoyed Haru's company for the past month, and dare he say it, he's even grown immensely fond of the fish-boy. He doesn't want to leave for Tokyo, doesn't want Haru to leave him.

"We'll meet each other again at the Olympics," Haru says, and Sousuke can hear that Haru's growing drowsy. He nudges his shoulder upwards in an attempt to prevent Haru from falling asleep. There's the smallest pang of pain, but it's not as bad anymore. Sousuke can deal with it, as long as there's a soft balm nearby to soothe the pain.

"I can't swim competitively, Haru." Even if Sousuke  _can_ swim, he knows for a fact that he can't competitively, not anymore. The thought doesn't hurt as much as it used to, just like his shoulder.

"Who said you have to swim?" Haru asks, as if the answer is lying right there and all Sousuke has to do is open his eyes and look.

So Sousuke opens his eyes and he sees.

He sees opportunities where he hadn't before. He sees himself studying to become a physical therapist, wrestling through college classes and emerging with a diploma in his hands. He sees himself standing by Haru after college, smirking in pride as Rin and Haru take the Olympics by a storm amidst wild cheers and frantic applause from the stands. He sees himself with Haru even after they've won gold, when Haru finally decides to settle down. Maybe Haru will open a bakery, and one of the items on there will be mackerel and pineapple. It's entirely possible and totally fits Haru's whimsical personality.

"Hey, Haru, you have to do everything I say, right?" Sousuke asks as he listens to the distant cry of gulls. When he hears Haru hum to signify that he's listening, Sousuke puts in his last request before his watch ticks towards midnight. "Stay with me."

"Okay." Haru's reply comes easily, as easily as he swims and slips through the water, as easily as he's let himself get captured by Sousuke's strong arms, as easily as everything should be.

Sousuke smiles and presses his lips against Haru's head. This time, he doesn't mind the hair that gets in his mouth much.

"I'll wait for you," Sousuke says, and when Haru looks up, there's acceptance and happiness and warmth and so much affection.

"I'll expect you to."

**Author's Note:**

> So I reread it and I think my writing has actually deteriorated since then. Is that possible? It shouldn't be possible...right? How'd I go from writing cute fluff and humor to dark and angsty. Thanks for reading!
> 
> Sincerely,  
> haplesshippo


End file.
